Whatever your passion, being a charity trustee is a great way to follow your interests and perhaps boost your CV as well. And charities want to widen their boards to younger members and those who can bring more varied experience and skills.
Doing good is a great way to feel good, according to recent research among the UK’s 700,000-plus charity trustees.
Nine out of ten thought their role was rewarding and 94% said it was very important to them, according to a report called Taken on Trust. That’s a great advertisement for a role that also helps thousands of good causes from local sports clubs to homelessness charities.
While the research was based on England and Wales, Scotland is likely to be similar.
But without in any way belittling their trustees’ excellent work, many charities are looking for a wider mix on their boards. The average age of trustees is 60-62 and two-thirds are men, according to the report. Over 8,000 charities have boards with an average age of over 75.
So whilst the trustee ‘heartland’ of empty-nesters and the recently retired remains highly valued, the charities sector also needs you if you’re young, or female or don’t fit the traditional stereotype. And in addition to the traditional wishlist of legal and financial experience, they’re looking for digital and IT, fundraising, marketing and campaigning skills.
As well as noting the benefits of being a trustee – giving back to society, supporting your community, and opportunities to network or boost your CV - what do you need to know?
- Follow your passion – find a charity that fits with your interests or social life; it makes the experience more rewarding
- Get your employer on side – one challenge reported by younger trustees is that employers don’t give them time off for trustee meetings. So sell them the benefits of your involvement, and even get the wider organisation supporting your charity.
- Understand your role – as a trustee, you do need to take your responsibilities seriously. Ask the charity to provide some governance training – not just to you but to the other trustees and senior staff as well. The whole organisation will benefit.
Lindsays act for many charities and a number of our staff and partners are also charity trustees, supporting organisations from St Columba’s Hospice to the Scottish Association for Mental Health.
Lynsey Kerr, Senior Associate in our Private client services team, is a trustee on the board of Lifecare (Edinburgh) Ltd. Lynsey confirmed that she is supported by the firm to fulfil her responsibilities, saying: “I am fully encouraged by Lindsays in my role as a board member. Both myself and the firm’s partners see the benefits of giving back to the community in this way.”
Another area where Lindsays can assist is in the bespoke training that we regularly provide to charity trustees.